Utah Legislature: Lawmakers create Great Salt Lake advisory council

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Legislature signed off Thursday on the creation the Great Salt Lake Advisory Council, which will allow the governor to pluck 11 people from a variety of backgrounds to guide the future of the Western Hemisphere's largest body of salt water.

The council, with appointments subject to the consent of the Senate, will include a representative from the extraction industry, the "aquaculture" industry, as well as government representatives from Box Elder, Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele and Weber counties.

Sponsored by Rep Ben C. Ferry, R-Corrine, HB 343 le.utah.gov/~2010/htmdoc/hbillhtm/hb0343.htm also provides for someone with "conservation" interests to sit on the council, which is designed to advise the governor and state environmental and natural resource departments.

Its mission is to make recommendations on the "sustainable use, protection and development of the Great Salt Lake" by balancing the lake's environmental health with reasonable access for existing and future development, according to the measure.

— Amy Joi O'Donoghue